"I can get someone else to do this for me but I chose you because you're my brother. Plus, you have the experience that I need so it's all perfect."
"Alright, I got it," I said.
My dorm mates suddenly returned and it started to get noisy.
"Noisy over there, eh?"
"It's inevitable in a working ground."
"Okay. I'm in Hongqiao and I will need you to be here within a week's time."
"I'll be there as soon as possible," I said before hanging up and lying on my bed, deep in thought.
"Gou Dan? What working ground? Who were you talking to?" a co-worker asked.
"Relative who works in construction."
"Be there as soon as possible?"
"Building houses to digging grounds?"
"Did you ask him if it is tough? Don't you guys think that it is more comfortable here?"
"Of course it is, but the money a construction job brings…"
A few of them started discussing while I lay in bed, tossing and turning.
I had enough money with me so there wasn't a need to worry about being scammed.
And he's my brother so why would he do that to me?
But to collude with him… forging documents is a scam, isn't it?
The equipment could be used clinically the moment someone acknowledges that it is safe. But what if something happens? Whatever he said about it being absolutely safe was merely his own belief.
Could I trust him?
New questions started filling up my mind.
It felt as though I was standing on a cliff with nothing to do but look forward since the treasures lay beyond.
I just had to take the leap, where failing meant a fall into the abyss.
But what if I make the jump? Would I be able to return?
Would I be able to withdraw fully once I go over?
He thinks that I'm a specialized operator who could jump as far as I would like and return to the start whenever I pleased.
He didn't know that I was just an ordinary runner who had been trained for a few years but would still run out of breath.
I fished a coin out from my pocket and held it tightly in my hand.
I was going to leave it to fate.
Head and I would go for it; tails and I would forget about it.
I tossed it high up into the air...
It was the 17th of the month. I had been in this inn for 13 days, which meant that I had worked 13 days for free.
Now, I had a week's time to head to Shanghai.
I chose not to take the plane since it was expensive and I had a lot of time.
I rode the long distance bus for two days and when I arrived in Shanghai, I stayed the night at an inn before heading to Hongqiao the next day.
Brother called me once along the way to ask about the preparations I did for my resignation.
I said that I needed a few more days and told him to just leave me an address. I even expressed my worry that returning back to my workplace would be difficult once I resigned.
There was no way I could tell him that I had lost my job. Plus, I wasn't even considered an expert operator.
He mentioned that weekends were his day offs and he would be home daily from 6 PM onward. He instructed me to call him when I arrive so that he could apply for leave and receive me properly.
I stayed in an inn in Hongqiao for three days and it felt as though I really had a lot of matters to handle.
I then gave him a call and told him that I was in his neighborhood.
The houses in big cities were different, with one being taller than the next.
Brother came down and invited me up to his place.
"I just bought this place so I'm still paying the installments," he said with a smile.
His place was huge. There were three rooms and a living hall filled with some dazzling decor.
It was dazzling to me, of course, considering that I had been squeezing in an inn for the past few days.
I asked Brother why he hadn't made a visit in such a long time and he replied, "I'm simply too busy. Few would have the time to return to their villages once they come out to work."
That night, my sister-in-law prepared a whole table of dishes but not wine.
After clearing the dishes, she returned to her room and Brother took out a file. "You must have seen a number of engineering drawings by now. This is my rough design. Probably similar to what you guys have over there."
I sat awkwardly on the sofa as he opened the file and took out about ten pieces of paper.
"As I've mentioned, it's about building bridges. Extract a section of vein from the leg or arm to build it atop the clogged one. To open up a new path basically. In mining terms, you'll call that something like a roundabout route," he explained as he laid out the papers.
I looked them over realized that the pictures were much more vivid than what he had said.
"Is that really okay? Putting a vein from an arm or leg onto the heart?" I asked.
"The clinical side has confirmed that there is no problem. Nevertheless, this is still stuck in the questionable stage."
"Oh, you mean this already exists?"
"Yes, this is the main coronary heart disease treatment case study. I've come up with another kind over the past six years. It's what I call the support."
"Support?" I repeated, uncertain.
"I told you it's about clogged veins, isn't it? In exact terms, it means that the vein has thickened. To speak simply, my method is to insert a support net into the clogged area and open it slowly. Won't a route be opened up? It's much less troublesome," he explained, taking out another piece of paper
I browsed through it.
It was very detailed. After inserting a tube into a thickened vein, it becomes balloon-shaped. When removed, a net-shaped frame was left inside.
It immediately reminded me of the hydraulic pressure frame that protected us underground.
It was our protective umbrella, the key to preventing a collapse.
"I think this works. Isn't it just like the hydraulic pressure we use when mining?" I smiled.
"Sounds about right! You think it's feasible, don't you? Many engineers have agreed but no one was willing to guarantee it. All I need now is a conference or declaration," he added.
"I don't know about medical science but this web… no, this support might fall off if not secured properly," I commented.
"I can get someone else to do this for me but I chose you because you're my brother. Plus, you have the experience that I need so it's all perfect."
"Alright, I got it," I said.
My dorm mates suddenly returned and it started to get noisy.
"Noisy over there, eh?"
"It's inevitable in a working ground."
"Okay. I'm in Hongqiao and I will need you to be here within a week's time."
"I'll be there as soon as possible," I said before hanging up and lying on my bed, deep in thought.
"Gou Dan? What working ground? Who were you talking to?" a co-worker asked.
"Relative who works in construction."
"Be there as soon as possible?"
"Building houses to digging grounds?"
"Did you ask him if it is tough? Don't you guys think that it is more comfortable here?"
"Of course it is, but the money a construction job brings…"
A few of them started discussing while I lay in bed, tossing and turning.
I had enough money with me so there wasn't a need to worry about being scammed.
And he's my brother so why would he do that to me?
But to collude with him… forging documents is a scam, isn't it?
The equipment could be used clinically the moment someone acknowledges that it is safe. But what if something happens? Whatever he said about it being absolutely safe was merely his own belief.
Could I trust him?
New questions started filling up my mind.
It felt as though I was standing on a cliff with nothing to do but look forward since the treasures lay beyond.
I just had to take the leap, where failing meant a fall into the abyss.
But what if I make the jump? Would I be able to return?
Would I be able to withdraw fully once I go over?
He thinks that I'm a specialized operator who could jump as far as I would like and return to the start whenever I pleased.
He didn't know that I was just an ordinary runner who had been trained for a few years but would still run out of breath.
I fished a coin out from my pocket and held it tightly in my hand.
I was going to leave it to fate.
Head and I would go for it; tails and I would forget about it.
I tossed it high up into the air...
It was the 17th of the month. I had been in this inn for 13 days, which meant that I had worked 13 days for free.
Now, I had a week's time to head to Shanghai.
I chose not to take the plane since it was expensive and I had a lot of time.
I rode the long distance bus for two days and when I arrived in Shanghai, I stayed the night at an inn before heading to Hongqiao the next day.
Brother called me once along the way to ask about the preparations I did for my resignation.
I said that I needed a few more days and told him to just leave me an address. I even expressed my worry that returning back to my workplace would be difficult once I resigned.
There was no way I could tell him that I had lost my job. Plus, I wasn't even considered an expert operator.
He mentioned that weekends were his day offs and he would be home daily from 6 PM onward. He instructed me to call him when I arrive so that he could apply for leave and receive me properly.
I stayed in an inn in Hongqiao for three days and it felt as though I really had a lot of matters to handle.
I then gave him a call and told him that I was in his neighborhood.
The houses in big cities were different, with one being taller than the next.
Brother came down and invited me up to his place.
"I just bought this place so I'm still paying the installments," he said with a smile.
His place was huge. There were three rooms and a living hall filled with some dazzling decor.
It was dazzling to me, of course, considering that I had been squeezing in an inn for the past few days.
I asked Brother why he hadn't made a visit in such a long time and he replied, "I'm simply too busy. Few would have the time to return to their villages once they come out to work."
That night, my sister-in-law prepared a whole table of dishes but not wine.
After clearing the dishes, she returned to her room and Brother took out a file. "You must have seen a number of engineering drawings by now. This is my rough design. Probably similar to what you guys have over there."
I sat awkwardly on the sofa as he opened the file and took out about ten pieces of paper.
"As I've mentioned, it's about building bridges. Extract a section of vein from the leg or arm to build it atop the clogged one. To open up a new path basically. In mining terms, you'll call that something like a roundabout route," he explained as he laid out the papers.
I looked them over realized that the pictures were much more vivid than what he had said.
"Is that really okay? Putting a vein from an arm or leg onto the heart?" I asked.
"The clinical side has confirmed that there is no problem. Nevertheless, this is still stuck in the questionable stage."
"Oh, you mean this already exists?"
"Yes, this is the main coronary heart disease treatment case study. I've come up with another kind over the past six years. It's what I call the support."
"Support?" I repeated, uncertain.
"I told you it's about clogged veins, isn't it? In exact terms, it means that the vein has thickened. To speak simply, my method is to insert a support net into the clogged area and open it slowly. Won't a route be opened up? It's much less troublesome," he explained, taking out another piece of paper
I browsed through it.
It was very detailed. After inserting a tube into a thickened vein, it becomes balloon-shaped. When removed, a net-shaped frame was left inside.
It immediately reminded me of the hydraulic pressure frame that protected us underground.
It was our protective umbrella, the key to preventing a collapse.
"I think this works. Isn't it just like the hydraulic pressure we use when mining?" I smiled.
"Sounds about right! You think it's feasible, don't you? Many engineers have agreed but no one was willing to guarantee it. All I need now is a conference or declaration," he added.
"I don't know about medical science but this web… no, this support might fall off if not secured properly," I commented.
